Demystifying Helm: A Practical Guide to NOTES.txt

Introduction:

In the dynamic world of container orchestration, Kubernetes has become a standard for deploying, managing, and scaling containerized applications. However, interacting with Kubernetes directly can be complex for those unfamiliar with its complexity . This is where Helm, the Kubernetes package manager, steps in to simplify the deployment process. In this blog post, we’ll delve into Helm’s NOTES.txt , comparing it to a familiar real-life scenario for those new to the Kubernetes ecosystem.

Understanding the Deployment Challenge

In our real-life example, consider setting up a new office space. Imagine needing to assemble furniture, connect utilities, and configure each workspace individually. Similarly, deploying applications on Kubernetes involves creating and managing multiple resources like pods, services, and configurations, which can be cumbersome and time-consuming without the right tools.

Enter Helm — The Furniture Assembly Expert

Just as you might hire a professional to assemble furniture efficiently, Helm acts as your expert for deploying applications on Kubernetes. Helm introduces the concept of charts, which are pre-configured packages of Kubernetes resources. Think of a Helm chart as a ready-made furniture set that includes all the pieces needed for a specific room in your office.

Understanding NOTES.txt

What is NOTES.txt?

NOTES.txt is your post-installation guide, providing crucial information, tips, and instructions for users once a Helm chart is deployed. which is placed under chartName/templates/NOTES.txt

Imagine paying a WWE on playstation , where you have that instruction on what click what happens.

once you run the command

helm install nginx chartname/

suyog@MacBook-Air blogs % helm install nginx Helm-charts-nginx-rt-main/
NAME: nginx
LAST DEPLOYED: Tue Jan 16 10:39:46 2024
NAMESPACE: default
STATUS: deployed
REVISION: 1
TEST SUITE: None

NOTES:
NGINX Helm Chart Deployment

1. NGINX Deployment Information:
   - Release Name: nginx
   - Namespace: default
   - Chart Name: nginx-charts
   - Chart Version: 0.1.0

2. NGINX Service Information:
   - Service Name: nginx-nginx-service
   - Service Type: LoadBalancer
   - Service Port: 80

3. Accessing NGINX:
   - Once the service is ready, you can access NGINX at the following endpoint:
     http://<EXTERNAL-IP>

   Note: It may take some time for the LoadBalancer to get an external IP.

4. Useful Commands:
   - Check the NGINX Deployment Status:
     helm status nginx

   - Get Detailed Information about the NGINX Deployment:
     helm get all nginx

5. Clean Up:
   - To uninstall/delete the NGINX deployment, run:
     helm uninstall nginx

The above output is of NOTES.txt

Even if you run helm status releaseName you will get the same output.

What’s in my NOTES.txt

NGINX Helm Chart Deployment

1. NGINX Deployment Information:
   - Release Name: {{ .Release.Name }}
   - Namespace: {{ .Release.Namespace }}
   - Chart Name: {{ .Chart.Name }}
   - Chart Version: {{ .Chart.Version }}

2. NGINX Service Information:
   - Service Name: {{ .Release.Name }}-nginx-service
   - Service Type: LoadBalancer
   - Service Port: 80

3. Accessing NGINX:
   - Once the service is ready, you can access NGINX at the following endpoint:
     http://<EXTERNAL-IP>

   Note: It may take some time for the LoadBalancer to get an external IP.

4. Useful Commands:
   - Check the NGINX Deployment Status:
     helm status {{ .Release.Name }}

   - Get Detailed Information about the NGINX Deployment:
     helm get all {{ .Release.Name }}

5. Clean Up:
   - To uninstall/delete the NGINX deployment, run:
     helm uninstall {{ .Release.Name }}

Feel free to reach out to me → Suyog Shinde

Thank you